One fall day I was walking down Fifth Avenue, heading toward Washington Square Park. A young woman was ahead of me. I surveyed her outfit: she was wearing leopard-print jeans, a pastel green hoodie, and a pair of high-end sneakers with neon pink laces. My first thought was: You will never find me in that outfit. My second was: What kind of a person would I have to be to wear that outfit? Third: What would I look like in that outfit? Finally: I want that outfit.
New Yorkers are likely to pass hundreds of other New Yorkers on our morning commutes alone, and during those brief minutes, whether in an elevator or on a subway platform, we share a space. But the tendency is for that space to evaporate before it really opens up. So I had a thought: Why not wear other people’s clothes? And why not document myself doing so? Above are the people I encountered. The original concept was to approach strangers; however, not everyone wants to take off their clothes in public, much less hand them over. I’m working on my pitch. In the meantime, enjoy your fellow humans.
